Brisbane Roar coach Mike Mulvey has been happy with his team’s recent performances, but wants his midfielders to contribute more goals.
Brisbane Roar coach Mike Mulvey has been happy with his team-s recent performances, but wants his midfielders to contribute more goals.
Roar were in control for long periods of their Round 22 clash against Newcastle Jets last week, but could not capitalise on the scoreboard as the match finished 0-0.
But the performance was good enough to convince Mulvey to stick with the same side when his charges take on Adelaide United on Saturday.
“No reason to change (against Adelaide),” Mulvey told reporters after Roar training on Friday morning.
“We scored a legitimate goal last week, which wasn’t counted unfortunately.
“We’ve been creating chances. We just need to be a little bit more ruthless in the final third, but I’ve been very happy with the way we’ve built up from the back, we’ve played through the lines.
“We’ve stuck to our game plan. We want to play football, we want to play it all across the park, and players who are comfortable and confident on the ball.
“And we’re getting that. We’re just not getting that killer touch in front of goal. But it will come.”
Mulvey said he hopes a steady improvement in the Roar’s play down the flanks will result in more goals out of midfield in the final part of the season.
“Goals have been hard to come by,” he said.
“One of the areas I’ve identified is in that overlapping situation in the wide areas.
“Two of our goals in recent times, against Central Coast Mariners and also against Wellington Phoenix, came from Shane Stefanutto and Thomas Broich organising themselves in good positions wide, and getting timing right, and the delivery was good.
“We’ve started bringing that to the right hand side last week.
“What I want to see is that we create more opportunities on both sides, and we need those runners from midfield getting beyond the ball and getting in to the box on the end of crosses, so we’re working on that.
“Hopefully we can get the likes of Stefan (Nijland) into those areas, and Steven (Lustica), who did it the other week, and they can add to the number of goals that we score, because we don’t want to leave it to one person.
“Besart (Berisha) has been a legend for the club in terms of the number of goals he’s scored, but we want to share the goals around.”
